Technics SL-1210G turntable brings a black finish to the SL-1200 Series

(Image credit: Technics)

Technics has pulled the cloth off the new SL-1210G direct-drive turntable, which is essentially the SL-1200G but in a black finish.

Its entrance is a consequence of the success of the limited-edition, black-finished SL-1210GAE, which was launched in June 2020 and, according to European Technics product manager Frank Balzuweit, almost immediately sold out. “We realised there was high demand for a ‘regular’ black version of this flagship 1200 Series model. In its striking black finish, the new SL-1210G possesses genuine elegance,” Balzuweit says.

The Technics SL-1210G is, alongside the original, silver-finished SL-1200G, the culmination of the company’s famous SL-1200 series – the top end of its Grand Class turntable range – and features technology that will be very familiar to those acquainted with the SL-1200G.

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For the uninitiated, the SL-1210G (and SL-1200G) design centres around an “iron-coreless” direct-drive motor, which Technics has worked on to achieve stable rotation and eliminate “cogging” (essentially sound degradation caused by small vibrations as the deck rotates). Equally as important, the twin-rotor construction is designed to reduce the bearing load while maintaining high torque.

Then there’s the tonearm made from magnesium (chosen for its high damping effect), with the tonearm bearings benefitting from a cut-processed housing for high initial motion sensitivity.

The platter, meanwhile, has a three-layer platter construction that’s highly dampened, with each platter individually adjusted for balance. And lastly, the deck’s chassis is a four-layer design, with a 10mm-thick top plate made of aluminium, beneath which are aluminium diecast, BMC and silicone-rubber layers.

The Technics SL-1210G will be available from October, priced £3499 / AU$6999. Technics no doubt hopes that this permanent addition of a black-finished model will help further the 3,500,000 sales of SL-1200 Series decks to date.

MORE:

Read our hands-on review of the Technics SL-1200G

In case you missed it, Technics has a new entry-level turntable, the SL-100C

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Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of the brand's sister magazines Down Under – Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica. During her 11+ years in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.